Surat: A Mumbai-based conman who duped traders of industrial tools worth ₹50.54 lakh through a fake company on an online marketplace has been arrested after evading the police for a year.

In 2024, a Surat-based businessman lodged a complaint at the Udhna Police Station alleging that he had been cheated by a firm named V-Tech, which was registered on the IndiaMART application. The complainant stated that V-Tech had placed an order worth ₹50.54 lakh from Vapi. However, after the goods were dispatched and payment recovery was initiated, it was found that the firm’s office at the Vapi address had been shut down.

According to the police, the accused, Bhupendra Amrutlal Panchal (a native of Jaitagam, Vadgam, Banaskantha, currently residing at Prembandh Colony, Bhandup, Mumbai), along with his accomplice Vijay Maftalal Panchal, ran a fraud network under the name V-Tech. The duo would initially make small payments to gain the trust of suppliers and then place bulk orders for goods from businesses in Surat, Vadodara, Chennai, and other cities. Once the consignments were received, they would close the office and disappear without making any payments.

Bhupendra Panchal had been absconding for the past year. Acting on a tip-off, the police traced him to Bhandup in Mumbai and arrested him. DeshGujarat